Tearing eye



n 4. 1963 H. BRUDNEY 3,091,891

TEARING EYE Filed March 18. 1957 INVENTOR. Beam/5v,

ATTOBNEYS.

United States Patent 3,091,891 TEARIN G EYE Harry Brudney, New York, N.Y., assignor to Dollac Corporation, Brooklyn, NY. Filed Mar. 18, 1957, Ser. No. 646,678 2 Claims. (Cl. 46-135) This invention relates to dolls eyes and more particularly to a tearing or weeping eye.

It is an object of the invention to provide a tearing eye capable of eyeball motion so as to also perform the function of opening and closing as the doll is oriented.

It is another object of the invention to provide a dolls eye of simple and rugged structure and one which may be easily and economically manufactured.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a dolls eye having mechanical movement of the eyeball while at the same time permitting liquid passage to effect a weeping action without in any way impeding the eyeball motion or functioning.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a sleeping dolls eye capable of a weeping function with only a minimum change in the structure necessary to produce a complete sleeping doll eye unit.

I am aware that attempts have heretofore been made to effect a simulation of weeping for dolls eyes. Such simulation has generally taken the form of various ports through the doll face close to the eye and of providing various passages for liquid access to the openings. Such prior inventions as described above and other types heretofore known are of complicated construction requiring multifarious passages to be specially made in conjunction with the doll face or with the eye itself and being in general costly in manufacture as well as complex. In my present invention I eliminate all these drawbacks in a simple and novel manner. Specifically, my invention compriss providing a duct to the fixed rear casing of a doll eye unit of the sleeping doll type whereby liquid such as water may be led through the duct into the casing and thereafter permitted to exit around the eyeball by way of a clearance provided between the eyeball and the eye socket in which the eyeball is pivoted. I have found that this admirably serves the purpose of effecting a weeping function for a sleeping doll eye unit and although very simple in concept makes the manufacture of such devices practical and economical. Thus, no change whatsoever is needed in the doll face since the weeping eye which I have invented contains all of the elements necessary to effect a weeping function for any face provided with conventional cavities for accommodating sleeping doll eye units of conventional size.

A detailed description of my invention will now be given in conjuncton with the appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a doll face showing a pair of doll eye units of the invention herein disclosed with tears issuing therefrom;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section in elevation showing the mode of mounting a doll eye unit in a doll head;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged elevation in cross-section through a doll eye unit illustrating the principle of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a plan cross-section through 44 of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawing, a doll head is shown having the usual cavities 14 into which a doll eye unit 18 ice may be inserted. It will be appreciated that the eye unit may be inserted either from the front or the rear depending upon the design of the cavity 14. The unit itself consists of an eye socket 24 in which is pivoted an eyeball 28 at the trunnion 32 in conventional manner and having the actuating weight 36 for effecting a sleeping function. The socket and eyeball are preferably made of plastic with molded lash 40, the socket having a reinforcing ring 44 which may be of metal, and an outer casing 48 which presses on the peripheral margin of the socket to hold it in compression against ring 44, thus providing a strong joint.

Casing 48 is of generally frusto-concial shape as shown having a rear wall 52 which is apertured to receive a metallic connecting tube 56 having a flange 58 engaging the inner surface of wall 52 and being inwardly crimped at 60 on diametrically opposing sides whereby a pair of diametrically opposed bulges, such as 64 as shown in FIG. 4, is formed by the deformity of the metal which bulges secure the connecting tube 56 to the casing in a rigid manner. Flexible tubing 68 is slipped over the connecting tube to form a duct leading to any suitable water supply of known type so that when the doll is squeezed or other means utilized for applying pressure to the water, it will be forced through the tube and into the eye itself.

Inasmuch as the eyeball is provided with a certain degree of clearance with respect to the eye socket in order to permit free pivoting, such clearance is taken advantage of to permit the water forced under pressure into the eye to leak out at the front in the areas designated at A and B in FIG. 3 or C in FIG. 4. As a matter of fact, merely filling the eye with water for a portion of vertical height is suflicient to cause leakage at A, no particularly strong pressure being required. In other words, leakage at B, which is above the lash, is not essential but can be effected if desired. Inasmuch as it is normal when a human eye is tearing to have the tears drip from the lower portion of the eye, the leakage at A produces a very natural effect. Further, it is obvious that the eye unit itself forming a small reservoir for the water, sustained weeping can be achieved without pressure actuation of the water supply, so long as the water level within the eye is higher than the crevice between the socket and the eyeball at the area A. It will also be noted that if the doll be tilted forward such water level is automatically raised to continue the leakage. Likewise, it will be noted that weeping is automatically stopped if the doll be placed face up. From the foregoing it will be appreciated that control of the weeping can be effected by orienting of the doll by virtue of the supply of water within the eye without applying pressure to the water supply.

Having thus described my invention, I am aware that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit thereof and accordingly I do not seek to be limited to the precise illustration herein given except as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a tearing eye doll, a unitary housing comprising a front shell and a rear casing joined to said front shell, a hollow, open-backed eyeball pivotally mounted within said housing, said front shell having an aperture and said eyeball being visible through said aperture and having leakage clearance exteriorly with the interior of said housing and with said aperture whereby liquid within said housing may leak around said eyeball and out of said housing through said aperture to effect simulated tears, said hollow eyeball forming part of a reservoir for liquid wherein said reservoir includes portions of said front shell and said rear casing, including means connected to 5 said rear casing for effecting ingress of liquid from a liquid supply.

2. In a tearing doll eye as set forth in claim 1, said ingress means comprising a tube element connected directly to said rear casing and having a length sufficient to extend 10 through the neck of a doll into the body therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Geisler Dec. 13, 1927 Wolfe et a1 Dec. 7, 1954 Ostrander Nov. 5, 1957 Cohn Jan. 14, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany June 21, 1910 

1. IN A TEARING EYE DOLL, A UNITARY HOUSING COMPRISING A FRONT SHELL AND A REAR CASING JOINED TO SAID FRONT SHELL, A HOLLOW, OPEN-BACKED EYEBALL PIVOTALLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING, SAID FRONT SHELL HAVING AN APERTURE AND SAID EYEBALL BEING VISIBLE THROUGH SAID APERTURE AND HAVING LEAKAGE CLEARANCE EXTERIORLY WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID HOUSING AND WITH SAID APERTURE WHEREBY LIQUID WITHIN SAID HOUSING MAY LEAK AROUND SAID EYEBALL AND OUT OF SAID HOUSING THROUGH SAID APERTURE TO EFFECT SIMULATED TEARS, SAID HOLLOW EYEBALL FORMING PART OF A RESERVOIR FOR LIQUID WHEREIN SAID RESERVOIR INCLUDES PORTIONS OF SAID FRONT SHELL AND SAID REAR CASING, INCLUDING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID REAR CASING FOR EFFECTING INGRESS OF LIQUID FROM A LIQUID SUPPLY. 